Hamsters ‘injected with cocaine and steroids and forced into cage fights in cruel taxpayer-funded experiments at university’

Animal rights campaigners PETA have campaigned to have funding removed and are now calling on criminal charges to be brought against the university for its "macabre" experiments

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By Emma Parry, Digital US Correspondent

26th October 2017, 11:29 am

Updated: 26th October 2017, 11:29 am

A UNIVERISTY has been carrying out bizarre taxpayer-funded experiments where hamsters are injected with cocaine and steroids before being forced to fight in cage matches, according to an animal rights group.

The research - in which hundreds of drugged-up hamsters were pitted against non-drugged rodents - aimed to investigate the links between steroids and aggression in teens.

A US senator has slammed what he calls "hamster cage matches" on his "Wastebook" website

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Hamsters are pumped with drugs then forced to fight each other in the bizarre experiments

Animal campaign group PETA has blasted the experiments as "cruel" and "macabre" and is now calling for criminal charges to be brought against Northeastern University, Boston, which has been running the studies.

They claim that hundreds of hamsters have had "aggression-promoting" drugs injected into their brains before being placed in a cage with animals not on drugs and forced to fight since 1996.

The experimenters then video the fights “like a twisted sports-style tournament” and score the animals on how many times they bite or attack their opponent before declaring a "winner" and a "loser".

A PETA spokesman said: "Since 1996, the experimenters have injected hundreds of animals with steroids, cocaine, and other substances, sometimes drilling into their skulls and injecting the drugs straight into their brains.

"After one hamster is drugged and becomes hyper-aggressive, experimenters put another one, who has not been injected with drugs, into the drugged hamster’s cage, exploiting the animals’ natural tendencies to be solitary and territorial in order to force them to be aggressive in these contrived scenarios.

“Experimenters watch, videotape, and even ‘score’ the ensuing fights, rating the hamsters on criteria including how many times they bite, attack, lunge at, and trap the other animal. They then declare a ‘winner’ and a ‘loser.’"

North Eastern University

Dr Professor Melloni has been running the experiments at Northeastern University Boston

PETA added: "Like a twisted sports-style tournament, they force some animals to fight multiple times against different opponents as they advance with each 'win'.

"Others are killed and their brains are dissected. "

The experiments have also been slammed by US senator Jeff Flake on his site "Wastebook" - which documents what he believes are wasteful uses of taxpayer's money.

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The hamsters have the drugs injected directly into their brain, according to PETA

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Hundreds of hamsters have been used in the experiments so far, according to PETA

The site claims that the team has received more than more than $3 million in finding since 1996 from the taxpayer-funded National Institute for Health.

It added that the studies echo what is already known about behavioural issues caused by steroids and pointed out how experts warns against drawing conclusions for humans based on short studies on hamsters.

The Wastebook site writes: "The contenders are divided into weight classes then pitted against each other in timed bouts. The challenger who scores the most points by making contact with his opponent is declared the winner and advances to the next contest.

"Unlike professional sports, this competition allows steroid use, there are no penalties, biting is permitted, and the contenders are not even human.

"It’s all part of the taxpayer-funded hamster cage match."

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Hamsters were apparently given cocaine for some of the tests

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The studies aim to investigate the links between steroid absuse and aggression

It adds: "After twenty years of cage matches, it is time to get taxpayers off this hamster wheel."

PETA, which has been campaigning on the issue sine 2015, are now claiming victory after taxpayer funding for the experiments was dropped.

They have also filed a complaint with Massachusetts District Attorney and are calling on criminal charges to be pressed against those responsible for the experiments - which they believe violate state law.

PETA have filed an official complaint with the Massachusetts District Attorney

A spokesman added: "Not only are these violent experiments cruel, they also appear to violate Massachusetts state laws against cruelty to animals and animal fighting.

“PETA is calling on the Massachusetts attorney general to end these experiments and, if appropriate, press charges against those responsible.”

Professor Melloni claims the experiments aim to investigate the link between steroid use and aggression in hamsters to see if steroid abuse increases aggressive behavior in teenagers.

Although he failed to respond when contacted for comment by Sun Online, he was quoted on "Wastebook" as saying: “Hamsters like to fight... our hamsters live charmed lives. They have food and water, they’re warm, they have no predators. [The only catch is that], every once in a while, we ask them to do what they’d do anyway – defend their territory. The worst they receive is a shot.”

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PETA have blasted the experiments as "cruel" and "macabre"

He wrote in one academic paper that all studies using live animals were approved by the university’s animal care and use committee and were “consistent with guidelines provided by the National Institute for Health”.

Northeastern University confirmed the experiments were funded by the NIH but claimed the grant was not terminated early, it merely "reached its natural conclusion".

A spokesman added: "The work is currently under review for publication in an academic journal.

"The research has been inspected and approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare, and Northeastern’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.

"Our animal care and use program is accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory and Animal Care."